Tag: #kenya

Travel, just like birding, is addictive. Once you love it you’ll never go back. And so after realising that I hadn’t taken a trip the whole of August, I resolved to do so in September. That’s how I ended up going for my first Nature Kenya Youth Committee trip to Kinangop Highlands.

I can’t believe I’ve been to Magadi twice this year. The place is so fascinating to me. It’s wild and looks like somewhere on another planet. I don’t know how animals and plants thrive there. My first experience in January involved the drama of walking barefoot through muddy pools and on sharp pebbles. The second visit in July had drama also, but of a different kind.

Before this year, it had been long since I visited the Giraffe Centre in Karen, Nairobi. Too long- almost 20 years actually. So when it was announced during a bird walk in June that we’d be going there, I was elated. One thing about Nairobi is that there’s so much to see. But sadly most residents don’t explore these places. In this post I give you a chance to virtually experience the Centre.

As I mentioned in my previous post, this year I was determined to attend all the waterfowl census to be held in & around Nairobi in July. Especially those which I missed in January, like the one at Nairobi National Park. I have been to the Park several times before, but to see the mammals. This would be a different experience no doubt.

In January this year I’d really wanted to go for the Waterfowl Census at Lake Ol Bolosat, Nyahururu. I had even been selected. But I let the chance go because I was swamped with assignments for an interview. I felt bad missing the trip but I was tired of being broke- hopefully I would finally get a good writing job. And I did. Not the one I was being interviewed for, but another one ( https://www.zedamagazine.com/author/michelle-ajema/). I was determined to go for the July census despite the cold. Read on to find out how it went…

Nairobi is such an interesting city. It was founded during the construction of the railway through East Africa. Due to the swampy condition of the place, numerous officials in the colonial government ruled out the possibility of it being a capital city…yet here we are years later! Apart from it being a bustling business metropolis, it’s also rich in wildlife (Nairobi National Park) and birds. Over 600 bird species have been recorded in Nairobi.

Before this trip, the last time I went camping with Nature Kenya is December 2016 when we went to Samburu. This is mostly due to 2017 being the year I was at my lowest- financially. My travel diary was dry. But thank God I’m not broke now. 🙂 During the Madaraka Day long weekend, I joined fellow travel junkies on a trip to Chyulu Hills.

Yes peeps! I’ve been officially posting on here for two years. TWO years! It’s been quite a journey. As I mentioned in this post here, this year began on a savage note. Some of the most hurtful words ever said to me in my life came from a close family member. Comments about what I’m passionate about not being a real career. Words that cut so deep that I felt a heaviness in my chest for 3 days straight. True story. But this is also the year of great things…read on to find out.

Before I visited Magadi, all I knew about the place is that it’s always hot and trona is mined there. So when the chance to participate in the Waterfowl Census at Magadi presented itself, I gladly took it. Even though I was still broke from the previous trip. I’m always eager to visit a new place- travelling opens your mind and changes you in ways you can’t really explain in words. Let’s review my adventure there a few months ago, shall we?

As promised a few weeks ago, today’s post covers a Waterfowl Census closer (to my) home. There are 2 categories of census: those out of town and others near Nairobi. Thika Sewage Treatment Plant falls in the latter. And so I was eager to attend this one. At least I didn’t have to wake up at an insane hour to make it, since it’s so near. Or so I thought. The day threw me a big surprise!